E-Newsletter

Great travel bargains for 2017

12/2/2016
— By Robert Firpo-Cappiello

Wangkun Jia/Dreamstime

As 2016 winds down, it’s time for travelers to think about... next year’s vacation, of course. This morning, I spoke with Jim Cantore live via Skype on the Weather Channel's AMHQ to share incredible international destinations that won’t break the bank, courtesy of our colleagues at the amazing Lonely Planet magazine and LonelyPlanet.com and their Best in Travel 2017 package. (Click here to watch my appearance on this morning's AMHQ.)

OTTAWA, CANADA: Canada is Lonely Planet's no. 1 Best in Travel 2017 pick, and for good reason: Canada boasts vibrant cities, Rocky Mountain national parks, and the friendliest citizens in the world. It’s also celebrating its 150th anniversary next year. The capital, Ottawa, will be the epicenter of the biggest anniversary party on July 1, but if you want to get a headstart, the city in winter is incredible, with ice skating on Rideau Canal, and delicious fried-dough concoctions called “beaver tails.”

BELIZE: Whether you just want to relax on the beach, snorkel or dive colorful reefs, or indulge in some of Central America’s best street food, Belize is surprisingly affordable considering its perfect location near the Caribbean and Mexico. While it enjoys some pricey resorts, it is also home to up-and-coming beach towns with a laid-back vibe and reasonable price tag.

MOROCCO: Sure, the name sounds exotic, but this is one dream trip that you can actually afford. From the incredible shopping in Marrakesh’s souks to indulgent lodgings with spa treatments, to exploring the Sahara and the striking Atlas Mountains, Morocco is an easy, affordable, and drama-free escape to North Africa.

For more travel inspiration from our colleagues at Lonely Planet, and to see the complete Best in Travel 2017 package, please visit LonelyPlanet.com.

This is a search menu. By typing in the search input you can query all of the articles available on the site and get instant and relevant results from the first keystroke. You can close the search menu by hitting the esc key once if the search input is empty. If you have made a search query hitting the esc key will clear the search input and search results. You can naviate the search the menu by hitting the tab key. Once you reach the last search result you will be naviated back to the clear button where you can clear the results make a new search query. If you reach the last suggested entry you will be navigated to the close button. To get back to the search input you have to hit shift + tab from either the clear or close button.

This is a button that clears the search input field and clears the search results by hitting the enter key. It is only available if a search query is made. You can get it to by forward tabbing from seach input or reverse tabbing from either the close button.

This is a button to close the search menu by hitting enter. You can navigate to it by tabbing forward from the search input.

This is a modal. You can exit by navigating to the close button and hitting enter, or hitting the esc key on your keyboard.